History of Greater Alpine FSC 

In 2004, County Supervisor Dianne Jacob invited Alpine residents to take an active part in Alpine’s future through her Alpine Revitalization Committee. A Public Safety Subcommittee comprised of concerned citizens and first responders began meeting to address safety issues that Alpine faces. Immediately, the risk of wildfire became the overarching topic of every meeting. Representatives from the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Alpine Fire Protection District, Viejas Fire Department, San Diego County Sheriff, and the Alpine Planning Group worked with the committee to draw up a prioritized plan for how to reduce wildfire risks in Alpine. The Alpine Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which continues to be updated annually, contained recommendations for evacuation scenarios, educational opportunities to the general public, and vegetation treatment projects that strategically alter the chaparral in which Alpine is nestled.

Armed with a plan, the Alpine Public Safety Subcommittee now needed a way to carry out their objectives. The Greater Alpine Fire Safe Council (GAFSC) was born in 2006 to “protect the Alpine community from wildfire and preserve Alpine’s natural and manmade resources through outreach, education, land stewardship, and fuels management.”

The Ironside Fuel Break

A 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, GAFSC is made up of volunteers from the community and has successfully applied for and administered grants to implement CWPP projects since 2007. GAFSC has gratefully accepted funding from Allstate Foundation, US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management through the California Fire Safe Council’s grant clearinghouse.

Volunteers on Break

Today, GAFSC works with the agencies in the Public Safety Subcommittee to continue to make Alpine safer from wildfires. Projects include strategic large-scale vegetation treatment projects, free chipping to assist Alpine residents who create defensible spaces around their homes, fire safe demonstration projects, and educational presentations at Joan MacQueen Middle School and local events.

Extinguisher Class